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Word of the Day | requite

requite •\ri-ˈkwīt\• verb

: make repayment for or return something

The word requite has not appeared in The Times in the last year. Here is a use of the word from Sept. 3, 1865 in the article “Suicide at Camden, N.J.”:

There was found in his pocket a letter addressed “Miss JESSIE, No. 136 South Sixth-street.” This young lady was examined by Coroner ROBERTS, and stated that she had only been acquainted with deceased
a few days, and he gave his name as HARRIS, though in all the papers discovered upon him he is called JOHN THOMAS. She also says that he made several proposals of marriage, which she declined. The proprietor
of the boarding-house in Dock-street, where he was stopping, testifies that he was a quiet, inoffensive man, and but little addicted to the use of liquor. From all the evidence in the case, it would seem that
he committed the rash act on account of the young lady’s inability to requite his passion.

Correction: April 18, 2013An earlier version of this edition of Word of the Day provided an erroneous example from Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight blog. That usage was a typographical error;
he had intended to write "require." We have provided a new Times example.